Thanks to Hamada for helping with edits.
Microsoft hasn’t been in our collective good graces lately. Although their nasty habit of acquiring and then closing studios is rightfully at the forefront of the discourse, tomorrow they’re finally retiring the Xbox 360 Marketplace, the aged console’s digital storefront. Now, this isn’t as devastating a loss as when Nintendo terminated their equivalents for the Wii, Wii U, or Nintendo 3DS. Plenty of 360 games are compatible with Microsoft’s newer machines and many that aren’t are available elsewhere. But this is still a loss, one I want to eulogize by tackling a title that didn’t carry over to the Xbox One. An old SEGA game I’ve been meaning to try has also been on my brain lately, so let’s kill two birds with one stone and explore Space Channel 5: Part 2.
SEGA’s Dreamcast years were an era of unbridled creativity for their development studios. Tragically, that did not translate into strong sales, and the machine didn’t even last three years before SEGA left the hardware market. (Image: SEGA)
Space Channel 5 and Part 2 are cult classic rhythm games hailing from that bittersweet period. While the latter never graced its original console here in the west, it thankfully scored a PlayStation 2 re-release, which in turn led to an HD remaster for the 360, PlayStation 3, and Steam. And it’s clear SEGA carries a lot of affection for the property and its frontwoman, Ulala—she’s a regular in their crossovers, often alongside rival reporter Pudding.
After the events of the first Space Channel 5, venerable dancer, reporter, and galactic savior Ulala gets whisked into a new crisis: a mysterious musical menace, the Rhythm Rogues, are brainwashing innocent people to… dance against their will! Their top agent Shadow regularly harasses our intrepid lead, who has to uncover what his boss is scheming while fending off a wealth of oddballs. So, y’know, just another day at the office.
Levels span multiple segments. Cinematics act as quick, quirky breathers, while loading screens mark checkpoints. (Image: SEGA)
“Story Mode” is split into six “reports.” Naturally, the first one doubles as the tutorial, and the gameplay is simple; many liken it to Simon Says. Your opponent performs a dance routine, and then you replicate it. Rinse and repeat. Dance moves entail pressing the A button (which corresponds to the “chu” prompt), B button (likewise for “hey”), or pressing left, right, up, or down on the control stick. Sometimes you have to charge a “chu” or “hey” by holding the respective button. And on rare occasions, a gimmick arises. One boss uses Space President Peace as a human shield, for example, and beating him without harming his captive requires pressing the stick in the opposite direction. Ulala plays an instrument occasionally as well, though the game’s core mechanics nevertheless always remain intact. Oh, and each report has a few secret dance inputs.
After finishing a report, you’re shown how many secrets you uncovered, how successful you were at rescuing captives, and your “ViewRating.” Increasing the latter’s done by performing well throughout the report, and saving people is accomplished by correctly performing the “hey” prompts during rescue sequences. Should your ViewRating hit zero, it’s game over. Ulala only has so many hearts, and if you make a mistake, she loses one (it’s also possible to gain hearts by playing well). Losing all of them whisks you back to your last checkpoint. And boss battles begin by converting your ViewRating into stars. Mess up, lose a star, and losing all of them—you guessed it—causes Ulala to fail. Thankfully, you have infinite tries to clear a stage.
Each level’s a trek through a unique environment. Fittingly, the final report’s set atop a massive stage. (Image: SEGA)
Now, reports aren’t too long. The longest is the fourth one, which lasts for twenty minutes, and altogether the game can be finished within two hours. Never did I breeze through Part 2, though, because it’s tough. Contemporaries offer some leeway with your timing: hitting a note slightly off sync in Elite Beat Agents or Donkey Konga, for instance, yields a smaller point bonus but still registers as a successful hit. That’s not the case here. They also feature visual indicators to help you, another luxury Ulala lacks (well, one boss fight aside). Nor do the lyrics help; it’s wholly on you to remember the timing and button inputs of each string and emulate them perfectly. And as the game grinds on, they get longer and faster! Making even one mistake reduces your ViewRating and counts as a hit.
It’s rooted in that SEGA arcade ethos, in requiring practice to master. But it’s definitely more demanding. Someone isn’t achieving a fast time or high score in Sonic the Hedgehog or NiGHTS into Dreams, respectively, on their first try, but simply playing through their opening acts is still reasonably inviting. Stepping into Ulala’s boots, meanwhile, is a tall order; Part 2‘s similarly bright, cheerful sheen obfuscates its difficulty.
Admittedly, I started having trouble as early as Report 1. Rhythm games were never my strong suit… (Image: SEGA)
Still, Ulala has a few advantages. One of the remaster’s loading screen tips suggests altering the controls, mapping each prompt onto one button. And a “Cheat Mode” literally plays Part 2 for you: the heroine dances on her own, never missing a beat. That locks you out of Achievements, though in-game collectibles are still acquired. And yes, I had to avail myself of both: in a historic first for “Beat the Backlog,” I didn’t technically beat this game—Ulala did.
Even so, I still had a grand time. Playing well causes the people Ulala saves to prance alongside her, and watching everybody strut along confidently is deeply gratifying. And the more pedestrians you save, the larger her posse! Conversely, watching them fumble along after performing poorly is funny. How well you play also affects the music, potentially adding extra strings or adjusting the tempo to reflect Ulala’s mood. This is a game about performing, about entertaining an audience. It smartly plays into that.
While I don’t believe developers necessarily “owe” us easier difficulty options, I do believe this game would benefit from one. Still, fans of the series claim Part 2 is a little more forgiving and refined than the original, explaining why it’s the one that got a remaster. (Image: SEGA)
And in every area, Space Channel 5: Part 2’s presentation is aces. The nostalgic “retro sci-fi” aesthetics are vintage SEGA: flamboyant, unapologetic, and memorable. Channeling old, fantastic fantasies of what the future would look like, Space Channel 5’s round architecture and bold palette also evoke classic cartoons. And the game is self-aware, so proud of how essential music is that even the birds chirp along to the beat in Report 2’s Space Park. Actually, that naming convention is consistent across Space Channel 5: many names begin with “space.” It brings to mind a bit I vaguely remember from a Futurama commentary track, an assertion that everything’s funnier that way. A few touches also nicely emphasize that our leads are reporters: Ulala’s “show” has title cards, one of her colleagues performs a news broadcast between levels, and one scene is punctuated with a technical issues screen. And, of course, the jazzy soundtrack by Kenichi Tokoi, Mariko Nanba, Naofumi Hataya, and Tomoya Ohtani (the latter two of whom later collaborated on another rhythm game) undergirds Ulala’s world with flair.
Space Channel 5: Part 2 hosts a solid smorgasbord of extras. More difficult versions of each report, a one hundred-floor “Ulala’s Dance Mode” gauntlet, cooperative play (one player handles the stick and the other the “chu” / “hey” inputs), and online leaderboards give devotees plenty to do. Unlockable costumes and accessories are also nice bonuses. Same for the character profiles, which yield otherwise unsaid background information.
Ulala has forty costumes, only some of which are unlocked by playing through the story. Since her new default white getup looks strangely sterile, this is welcome. (Image: SEGA)
Ulala’s the clear star, of course. Her fragile confidence is endearing—depending on how you fare, she’ll carry an almost Bayonetta-esque swagger or lament her lackluster skills. My exposure to the character heretofore solely came from SEGA crossovers, but after finally experiencing a Space Channel 5 I completely understand the adoration people harbor for her. And, thankfully, the dancer’s franchise has gotten a new game, 2020’s Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash. With a little luck, she’ll also grace the silver screen, as a Space Channel 5 film is in production (against all logic, so is a Comix Zone one)! This is a fine time to become a fan.
And I would be remiss to overlook Space Michael, who’s none other than the late Michael Jackson (who has a long, weird history with SEGA). Seriously, he voices the character and everything; Space Michael’s backstory even alludes to Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker. Although I knew of Jackson‘s inclusion ahead of time, I was still taken aback when he made his entrance; it’s the one aspect of the series that’s a product of its time.
Space Channel 5: Part 2’s Marketplace page flaunts Space Michael, and Jackson voices him in each language. SEGA seems proud that they bagged him, and it speaks to the vibrancy of Ulala’s universe that the King of Pop wanted to be part of it. (Image: SEGA)
Sadly, the studio behind the first two Space Channel 5 titles, United Game Artists, is no longer around, because SEGA’s dire financial state forced them to merge with Sonic Team in 2003. This industry is notoriously turbulent, and it’s dispiriting that quality work can go unrewarded. Still, their flagship franchise lives on, and considering SEGA’s vested interest in revisiting their older properties—I’m eager to try the new Crazy Taxi—I’m confident it has a future.
However, the opportunity to download Space Channel 5: Part 2 on the 360 is whittling away. That isn’t a death sentence for this specific title, thankfully; the remaster was initially released in a compilation disc and is still available individually elsewhere. Considering its difficulty, Part 2 isn’t a game I’d readily recommend to anyone but genre or SEGA enthusiasts. But it’s a valuable title, one I hope people at least try. Conveniently, there is a demo on the Marketplace!
And I implore my fellow 360 owners to visit the Marketplace while we still can. There isn’t a lot of time left to download content on there, much of which is discounted. The Xbox 360 was an important console for me, helping broaden my horizons beyond the Nintendo and SEGA ecosystems. I’ll be here for its final curtain call, eager to nab whatever gems it still holds.
Frank West is my favorite fictional journalist, but Ulala’s no slouch! Checking out her other adventures is now on my to-do list. (Image: SEGA)
- Beat the Backlog: Crazy Taxi - September 9, 2024
- Beat the Backlog: Space Channel 5: Part 2 - July 28, 2024
- Character Chronicle: Tiptup - June 29, 2024
